I recently purchased a 1988 SC17 (Whaler built) and took it on its maiden voyage (with me, anyways). Upon returning to shore, one of the hulls contained a good bit of water. the leak appears to be a crack (I prevously thought was only the gelcoat) at the very leading edge of the pontoon. it extends from near the peak of the hull, down beyond the waterline and horizontally about 6 inches. The other side is also cracked similarly, but not leaking (yet).
Given the fine entry and thin glass, I'm sure this is not the first of these to experience this problem. Any words of wisdom, or better, proven procedure for repairing this problem?
thanks for the help - I need to fix it quickly, so I can get my next 'fix' - the boat screams!
hull repair - SC17
-
dawsoneldf
- Novice
- Posts: 2
- Joined: July 5th, 2004, 9:21 pm
- Location: seneca lake, ny
hull repair - SC17
dave dawson-elli
-
Tom Peterson
- Devloping
- Posts: 17
- Joined: September 13th, 2004, 4:51 pm
- Boat Make/Model: Supercat 17
- Location: Mpls MN
One way to find out for sure where the boat is leaking is an old trick we used with Hobie Cats - they leaked all the time.
Pressurize the hull with a vacuum cleaner blower duct taped to the plug opening at the rear. Then use a soapy solution to see where bubbles form as the air exits the hull.
Not sure how to repair. Hope this helps.
Pressurize the hull with a vacuum cleaner blower duct taped to the plug opening at the rear. Then use a soapy solution to see where bubbles form as the air exits the hull.
Not sure how to repair. Hope this helps.
Hobie 14, Hobie 16, saw the light, and am now Supercat 17
-
Matt Haberman
- Administrator
- Posts: 610
- Joined: November 10th, 2003, 8:22 pm
- Location: Minnesota
- Contact:
Don't use too much pressure.
Hi guys,
Careful when using a vacuum cleaner to pressurize the hull. A plain old shop vac can generate several PSI which is more then enough to cause internal hull damage in any boat hull.
One trick to avoid over pressurizing is to put a "T" in your pressure hose coming from the vacuum cleaner. Attach one leg of the "T" to the drainplug on the hull while placing the other leg of the "T" in a small pail of water that is only a few inches deep. This will generate a small pressure in the hull while venting any excess pressure in the bucket of water.
Also check to see if your hull has a "vent" hole. On the ARC & Supercat products this is typically a small (1/16" or 1/8") diameter hole in the hull located just above the upper rudder gudgeon on the transom of the boat. This hole will prevent sudden pressure changes in the hull due to the hot sun beating down on the boat and the cold water. These sudden pressure changes can make minor leaks a major problem.
One note on the vent hole. This is not a substitute for using the bucket of water to vent the pressure hose when testing!
Regarding the repair. Your best bet will be to remove the gelcoat for a few inchs on each side of the seam line and then repair the crack with fiberglass. After the repair you can blend in your patch and either gelcoat or repaint the hull. For more details on this type of repair contact Tom at Aquarius Sail - 651-462-SAIL.
Careful when using a vacuum cleaner to pressurize the hull. A plain old shop vac can generate several PSI which is more then enough to cause internal hull damage in any boat hull.
One trick to avoid over pressurizing is to put a "T" in your pressure hose coming from the vacuum cleaner. Attach one leg of the "T" to the drainplug on the hull while placing the other leg of the "T" in a small pail of water that is only a few inches deep. This will generate a small pressure in the hull while venting any excess pressure in the bucket of water.
Also check to see if your hull has a "vent" hole. On the ARC & Supercat products this is typically a small (1/16" or 1/8") diameter hole in the hull located just above the upper rudder gudgeon on the transom of the boat. This hole will prevent sudden pressure changes in the hull due to the hot sun beating down on the boat and the cold water. These sudden pressure changes can make minor leaks a major problem.
One note on the vent hole. This is not a substitute for using the bucket of water to vent the pressure hose when testing!
Regarding the repair. Your best bet will be to remove the gelcoat for a few inchs on each side of the seam line and then repair the crack with fiberglass. After the repair you can blend in your patch and either gelcoat or repaint the hull. For more details on this type of repair contact Tom at Aquarius Sail - 651-462-SAIL.
-
Tom Peterson
- Devloping
- Posts: 17
- Joined: September 13th, 2004, 4:51 pm
- Boat Make/Model: Supercat 17
- Location: Mpls MN
Too much pressure
Too much pressure - yikes - maybe that's why our Hobies always leaked...
Hobie 14, Hobie 16, saw the light, and am now Supercat 17
-
dawsoneldf
- Novice
- Posts: 2
- Joined: July 5th, 2004, 9:21 pm
- Location: seneca lake, ny
hull repair - SC17
Thanks for the leak finding tips!
The leak was obvious - if on sqeezed the end of the hull with bare hands, the crack along the leading edge of the hull would open up on the leaking hull.
I ended up grinding back the gel coat a about 2 inches on each side, and applying fiberglass over the entire leading edge and about 8 inches beyond the corner - followed by a layer of West with microballoons, and then fared it out. the leading edge is not as fine an entry as before, but it works, and is stiff. I applied this repair to both hulls - it was clearly a matter of time before the other side would have the same problem. It looked as if there wasn't enough resin in the glass at the bows of the hulls.
there's still a small leak somewhere, so I will try the pressurization trick (gently)
The leak was obvious - if on sqeezed the end of the hull with bare hands, the crack along the leading edge of the hull would open up on the leaking hull.
I ended up grinding back the gel coat a about 2 inches on each side, and applying fiberglass over the entire leading edge and about 8 inches beyond the corner - followed by a layer of West with microballoons, and then fared it out. the leading edge is not as fine an entry as before, but it works, and is stiff. I applied this repair to both hulls - it was clearly a matter of time before the other side would have the same problem. It looked as if there wasn't enough resin in the glass at the bows of the hulls.
there's still a small leak somewhere, so I will try the pressurization trick (gently)
dave dawson-elli